A former football anti-racism campaigner is being sued by a black ex-player after calling him “n*****” in a text message.

Paul Elliott, a former Chelsea defender, sent the text to Richard Rufus during a row over a failed business venture.

Elliott, who had been involved in the Kick It Out campaign against racism run by the Professional Footballers’ Association, texted Rufus: “Ur a stupid man n*****”.

He added: “You dog. Ur history my friend.”

A report about the row appeared in a national newspaper in February, and five days later Elliott, 49, resigned from Kick It Out. He put a statement on its website to explain his actions. But former Charlton defender Rufus is now seeking £150,000 libel damages, claiming Elliott wrongly accused him of “leaking information to the press”.

Elliott’s statement re-ferred to a “former friend and business partner” who had “made public an SMS text message” Elliott had sent which contained a term “widely known as being derogatory to my own community”. Rufus, 38, argues this implied he “acted dishonourably” by exposing the message and betraying Elliott.

Rufus insists he did not show the text to anyone apart from his legal representative, and was not the source of newspaper revelations about the fallout between the two former footballers.

In documents at the High Court, Rufus’s lawyers claim the “false assertion” opened him up to “contempt and odium” and caused distress. Rufus, of Purley, said: “I’m determined to put the record straight. I am left with no alternative but to seek vindication in the courts.”

Elliott, of Orpington, who also played for Charlton and England under-21s, was awarded a CBE last year for services to equality and diversity in football. He could not be contacted for comment.